Young doctors are not choosing to train or settle in general practice as they did a decade ago, which has serious implications for training schemes and practices recruiting new partners. Changes in the NHS may partly explain this. Baker et al found that the four commonest reasons given by qualified general practitioners for not practising as principals were the commitment out of hours, difficulty combining work with family commitments, requirements of the general practice contract, and increasing demands from patients.1

A broader shift in values and expectations of work may also be occurring, and we need to understand the social context in which young graduates have grown up. The old certainties of work and family life have …

Get access to this article and to all of thebmj.com for 14 daysSign up today for a 14 day free trial